


First, Last, and Only

by astudyinfic



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, But otherwise they are the same, Friends to Lovers, Kid!Fic, M/M, Magnus is only a year older than Alec, hints of immortal husbands, still warlock!Magnus and Shadowhunter!Alec, though the lovers part is just implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-23 18:09:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15612018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astudyinfic/pseuds/astudyinfic
Summary: Found on the streets of London, scared and alone, four-year-old Magnus went to live in Idris with the man who saved him, Ragnor Fell, a professor at the Academy.  Magnus almost immediately befriends the Headmistress's three-year-old son, Alec.   Over the years, Maryse and Ragnor watch the boys and their relationship grow from something sweet and innocent to a love deeper than any of them had ever seen.





	1. Four Years Old

**Author's Note:**

> The biggest of thanks to my beta [zahrabane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zahrabane/) for all the advice and editing. I appreciated it more than I can say. And a big thanks to [mattdaddorkio](https://mattdaddorkio.tumblr.com/) for the cover banner.
> 
> Magnus's age is the chapter title. Alec is one year younger than Magnus and Izzy is four years younger than Magnus.

Huddled behind a dumpster in Hackney, Magnus held out his hands, warming himself by the blue flames that came to him whenever he thought of it.  He hated those flames almost as much as he hated his eyes. They were the eyes that made his parents drop him on a street corner and drive away. The eyes that made him mother scream and cry and his father yell.  The eyes of a monster, according to his Papa. And only monsters had the strange blue flames.

Shivering, Magnus wrapped his small coat tight around himself, shoulders curled inward.  The sun had set only an hour before but already the cold went to his bones. Magnus wanted to cry but no tears came.  He’d cried them all out earlier before being abandoned.

Magic flaring whenever he started to get cold, Magnus briefly considered going to find some food when he heard someone step into the alley where he hid.  The magic turned a deep red as his fears took over and he was ready to lash out if they tried to hurt him. Instead, the man turned the corner and Magnus's golden cat-eyes went wide.  He was about Mama and Papa’s age but unlike them, he was different. Different like Magnus was.

He had horns.  

“Hello,” the man said, crouching down in front of him.  “Are you okay? Has anyone hurt you?” Magnus nodded to the first question, then shook his head to the second.  His magic still swirled, though the color softened the more the man spoke to him.

“My name is Ragnor.  I’m a warlock, just like you.”  The man - Ragnor - had magic too!  Magnus's jaw dropped as he held out his hand and a cat appeared in it, clearly made of the same sort of magic Magnus had.  “See? You have nothing to be afraid of.”

“Mama and Papa left me here,” he said softly, the first words he’d spoken.  “I don’t think they like me anymore. They said my eyes were bad.” Tears pooled in his eyes and Magnus bit his lip.  He needed to be a big boy. He couldn’t cry. Crying only made him more bad. That’s what Papa said.

“Your Mama and Papa don’t understand and sometimes people are scared of things they don’t understand.  But that doesn’t mean you are bad. Would you like to come home with me? It will be warm and safe, better than here in the alley, right?”

Long ago, his parents told him not to talk to strangers. But this stranger was kind and his own parents hated him, so maybe not all of their advice was good.  He nodded and took Ragnor’s hand. Maybe he could eat something and sleep. Then he could figure out what to do next. Not that Magnus had any clue what that would be.  

Ragnor’s hand closed around his own and Magnus smiled at him, small and tentative, but it was there all the same.  

“Do you have a name?” the other warlock asked as he used his other hand to open a portal.  

“Magnus.”  He was pretty sure he had a last name too, but he couldn’t remember it.  

Following Ragnor through the portal, Magnus was shocked when they arrived in a cluttered living room. Books were everywhere, along with papers and knick-knacks like nothing Magnus had ever seen.

“This, Magnus, is Idris,” Ragnor explained, letting go of Magnus's hand so he could explore.  “I teach at a school here.”

School.  Magnus was supposed to go to school next year.  At least, that’s what his parents said before they left him.  He’d been looking forward to it.

“I can read,” he declared proudly.  “And count to twenty... twenty-nine!”  Something came after that but Magnus couldn’t remember what.  “And I know one hundred! And all my dinosaurs!”

Ragnor smiled and nodded as Magnus babbled about all the dinosaurs he liked, though Ragnor could hear Magnus's tummy rumbling uncomfortably.  While Magnus talked, Ragnor led him to the table and summoned some food. Magnus's eyes went wide and the incessant chatter stopped as he began to eat.

When he was done eating, Ragnor escorted him to the spare room and helped him get ready for bed.  

“Ragnor!” Magnus cried out when the man tried to leave after tucking him in.  “Don’t leave! Please?”

Tears were pooling in Magnus’s eyes and Ragnor couldn’t say no, not considering what Magnus had been through.  

“Scoot over,” he said, nudging Magnus who grinned triumphantly and moved to the side.  He took Ragnor’s hand in both of his and was asleep before Ragnor was even completely settled.   _The poor boy was exhausted_ , Ragnor thought to himself, cursing Magnus's parents for abandoning such a small child just because he was a little different.  He didn’t understand how a mother’s love could be conditional but sometimes, he knew it was. Ragnor was one of the fortunate ones whose mother saw that he was different and loved him anyway.  

But Magnus was safe now.  That was what mattered.

Once certain Magnus wouldn’t wake were he to move, Ragnor slipped from the bed and went to make a call.  Even if Magnus didn’t stay with him, he still needed to report his presence to the Headmistress. Downworlders might be allowed at the Academy now, but Ragnor knew they still kept a close eye on them all.  

“Headmistress,” he said by way of greeting.  “I need you to come by my quarters at your earliest convenience.  I have a situation that you need to be aware of.”

“Is it urgent, Professor Fell?” she asked, her voice hushed.  “Alec just fell asleep and I don’t want to leave him unless absolutely necessary.”

“Not urgent at all.  Come by in the morning?  And maybe bring young Master Lightwood.  He might be interested in this as well.” Magnus had to be close to Alec’s age.  Maybe Alec could play with Magnus while he talked with the Headmistress. There would no doubt be paperwork to file.  There always was when finding an abandoned warlock.

The next morning, Ragnor heard her heels clicking down the hall before the sharp rap on the door.  He opened the door, smiling and stepping aside.

“Maryse, lovely to see you.  I wish it could be under more pleasant circumstances.”  

Behind his mother, Alec’s dark head peaked out, smiling quickly at Ragnor before hiding once more.  He was a shy boy, always close to his mother, the only family he had at the school. Though, with Maryse set to deliver any day now, Alec would have a brother or sister to play with soon enough.  “And Alexander, always a pleasure.”

“My name’s Awec,” Alec tried to say, though his Ls were still giving him a challenge.  

“Apologies, Alec.  I should have known.  I always hated it when people called me Rag.”  Alec grinned at him. Hearing a small commotion behind him, Ragnor turned to see Magnus standing there, bleary-eyed and sleep-rumpled, but certainly awake.  “Actually, there is someone I want you to meet. Alec, this is Magnus. Magnus, this is Alec.”

“Ragnor!”  Maryse exclaimed.  “I can see what you mean about a situation.  Where did you find him?”

“His parents abandoned him in London.  I felt his magic while he was trying to keep himself warm.  He was huddled behind rubbish, Maryse.”

While the adults talked, Magnus tried to see the boy behind the woman.  Even when his parents loved him, he didn’t have a lot of friends. Maybe the other kids knew he was weird even before his parents did.  Magnus smiled when the boy looked over at him and after only a moment’s consideration, Alec came walking up to Magnus.

“You have pretty eyes.  My cat Church has eyes wike you,” the boy said to him and Magnus grinned.  While Ragnor told him his eyes were normal and he shouldn’t be upset about them, Alec was the first person to ever tell him they were pretty.  

Magnus leaned in and kissed Alec’s cheek.  

“You have pretty eyes too.  I’m Magnus.” He stuck out his hand because that’s what adults did, right?  They shook hands and then they were friends.

Alec looked at his hand for a moment, then back at Magnus and took his hand.  But instead of shaking it again, he swung it between the two of them.

“I’m Awec.  And that’s Mama.  And in her tummy is baby Izzy.  I’m going to be a big brother.”

The two boys made their way to the couch, still hand in hand.  

“I don’t have brothers or sisters,” Magnus explained.  “Just Magnus. No Mama or Papa anymore either.” Magnus bit his lip as it started to quiver.  He was alone, and only now did he realize it.

“I don’t have a dad either.  He gone. Just me and Mama.  And Izzy. You can play with me.  I’ll share Izzy and we both be big brothers?”  Alec hugged Magnus, flailing and awkward, but Magnus didn’t care and hugged him back.

Neither saw the two adults looking at them wearing soft smiles on their lips.  

“I think you have to keep him now, Ragnor,” Maryse whispered.  “I’m not sure Alec will let him go.”

“Well, who am I to break up young love,” Ragnor laughed.  “Do you think there’s room in the preschool for one more?”

“I’ll talk to the headmistress.”  The two boys looked over when Maryse laughed and she smiled at them both.  “I’ll make some calls and get the paperwork started. I know you will be the perfect guardian for him, Ragnor.  I’ll let you know when it’s all done. Alec, come on. Let’s leave Magnus to get settled in.”

“Noooo,” Alec whined, holding onto his new friend a little tighter.  

Ragnor laughed. “I can bring him back in a little bit.  Might be good for Magnus to have a friend.”

Friend.  

Magnus liked the sound of that.


	2. Six Years Old

Ever since the day they met, Magnus and Alec were inseparable.  It helped that they were the only two boys their age who lived at the Academy.  None of the other professors had children and everyone else came to school every day before going back home.  Which meant that after school let out, Magnus and Alec had the run of the living quarters. 

Upon realizing just what good friends the two were, Maryse arranged for Ragnor to move quarters so they lived on the same floor.  That way no one had to accompany the boys when they wanted to see each other, which meant fewer headaches for their parents and more time together for Magnus and Alec.  

Despite his painful beginning, Magnus grew comfortable in his new home almost immediately.  A naturally charismatic child, he smiled and had people wrapped around his little finger, particularly after Ragnor taught him how to glamour his eyes.  

“It isn’t that your eyes are bad,” he explained.  “You can have them showing whenever you like. But if people give you a hard time about them, this is a way to hide them until you are with people who don’t care what your eyes look like.”  

After that, Magnus could almost pass as a nephilim, since none of the children his age had runes.  The children at the preschool had been afraid of him, but by the time he entered normal school a year later, no one paid him a second glance. 

Magnus hated his first year of school.  His teachers complained to Ragnor that he was sullen and withdrawn, often playing magical pranks on his classmates.  It was such a drastic change in behavior that everyone who knew him wondered what had happened. Academically, he was at the top, but socially, they were concerned.  

“Might be the demon blood,” more than one whispered, something both Ragnor and eventually Maryse put a stop to.  Neither knew what, exactly, the problem was, only that it existed and Magnus was suffering because of it. It went on for months, with Magnus being his happy self at home, but angry and standoffish at school.  

When a new year rolled around, Ragnor readied himself for the fight they had every single day trying to get Magnus ready to go to school.  There were tears and fireballs, tantrums that rattled the walls, and on one memorable occasion, a tornado that threw all of Magnus's school work out the window.  Raising any child was a challenge. Raising a warlock with strong magic could be life-threatening if you didn’t know how to handle it properly.

Luckily for both Magnus and Ragnor, as well as everyone else in Idris who might end up near Magnus, Ragnor was well trained to handle rogue warlocks of any size.  Even with the immense power in Magnus’ tiny body, Ragnor knew what to do and how to contain any fallout. So he strengthened his wards, only to be surprised when Magnus came out of his room dressed and ready to go.  Early. 

The boy was never early.  For anything. 

“Who are you and what have you done with Magnus?” Ragnor asked, only half kidding.  This was the first time in over a year there was no fight to be had and it was disconcerting. 

Magnus shrugged and pulled himself up onto the chair at the breakfast table.  

“It’s the first day of school,” he said as if that explained everything.  A bowl of his favorite, sickeningly sweet cereal appeared in front of him and Magnus swung his feet back and forth while he ate.  

Staring for a moment, trying to figure out why the first day of school this year was so much better than last year, Ragnor eventually shook his head.  Sitting down, he summoned his own cereal. It was far more nutritious, but he’d long given up and trying to get Magnus to eat anything other than the unnaturally colored loops in the bowl in front of him.  

“Why is the first day of school so exciting, Magnus?  You were quite upset last year.”

“Yes, but this is  _ Alec’s _ first day of school.”  

Ah, Ragnor thought.  That made a lot more sense.  Leave it to Magnus to be more excited for Alec to go to school than himself.  

“Alec’s first day,” Ragnor repeated.  For the last year, Alec was still in preschool, being a year younger than Magnus.  They’d been apart for eight hours a day, something that only happened before that while they were asleep.  And even then, they often spent the night with each other. 

“So, last year you were mad because you couldn’t spend the day with Alec?”

Magnus nodded, shoveling a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.  

“Mmhmm. I didn’t like it.  He supposed to be with me. Now he goes to the same school so it’s okay.”

“You’ll be in different classes.”  Ragnor grimaced the moment he said those words.  The last thing he wanted to do was make Magnus upset, particularly when this day was actually going well. 

To his relief, Magnus shrugged.  “But we will have recess and lunch and before school and after school.  I can show him where everything is and protect him from the bad kids.” He smiled at Ragnor, all crooked teeth, and messy hair.  Ragnor knew about the ‘bad kids’. The ones who picked on him because he was a warlock and not a nephilim. Magnus was currently the only Downworlder attending the Academy; none of the other parents feeling comfortable sending their children to a school run by Shadowhunters.  If he didn’t work there, Ragnor would never have sent him either. But Magnus was strong. He had Ragnor to turn to if he was upset, and Maryse as well. 

And now he would have Alec.  Ragnor wondered if that would make things better or worse for Magnus.  He didn’t want to think badly of Alec, but he was a nephilim. While Magnus was his best friend now when placed in a class full of other people like him, would he still want to play with the little warlock?  

It wasn’t a concern Ragnor could raise to anyone.  He could only hope that his concerns were unfounded and be there for Magnus if they weren’t.  

Magnus was out the door before Ragnor finished tying his shoes and was tugging Alec towards the stairs that led to the primary school.  

“Alec!  Hurry up!  You don’t want to be late on your first day!”  

Ragnor followed behind the two boys. Magnus's hand was wrapped tight around Alec’s as he tugged his best friend along.  

“Magnus!  Alec! Slow down!  Magnus, you are going to hurt someone if you keep pulling on him like that.  Alec, you can tell him to stop.”

“It’s okay.  I can keep up.”  

Ragnor had no doubt he could, but that didn’t mean they needed to risk life and limb by running around like they were.  This was an improvement to Magnus's tantrums the year prior but even Ragnor - who appreciated school and education more than most - thought Magnus's enthusiasm could be tempered just a little.  

Thankfully, the boys did slow down and allowed Ragnor to catch up.  He’d offered to take them both to school since Maryse had to be there early to drop of Isabelle at the daycare and begin her day as Headmistress.  Ragnor’s first class wasn’t until later, which made this ideal for all of them. 

He sent the boys into their classrooms, smiling a little as Magnus kissed Alec’s cheek and gave him a hug.  He’d done it since the day they met and it never failed to make Ragnor smile. For all the pain Magnus went through before coming to live with him, Magnus had a greater capacity for love than anyone he’d ever met.

He left for his own class and thought that was that.

When he returned home that evening, he stopped by the Lightwood’s to pick up Magnus, who went to their rooms after school to do work and hang out with Alec.  Instead of the usual noisy chatter of the boys playing and little Izzy toddling along behind them, he was met with a strange silence that any parent knew was a bad sign. 

Maryse came out of the kitchen with two glasses of wine, handing one to Ragnor immediately.  “You’re going to need this. Let them tell you and then we can talk, okay?”

That was the last thing any parent wanted to hear and Ragnor braced himself for the worst.  He followed Maryse back to Alec’s room where the two boys were squeezed into one chair, reading a book with their heads leaning against one another. They seemed fine if a little sad.  

“Magnus.  Alec. You want to tell me what happened today?” Ragnor asked, sitting on Alec’s bed as he looked at the two little boys.  To his surprise, Magnus wrapped his arms around Alec and pulled him closer, glaring at Ragnor in a way he hadn’t in quite some time.  

“He’s been like that since they got home,” Maryse explained.  She sat next to Ragnor and looked at Alec and Magnus. “No one is going to try and keep you apart, Magnus.  I don’t care what the teacher said. I won’t let anyone speak to either of you like that, okay?”

Magnus considered that for a moment before nodding, letting Ragnor breathe once more.  At least he didn’t have to try and pull an angry warlock away from his best friend due to a tantrum that could hurt them all.  

Arms still tight around Alec, Magnus looked at Ragnor with solemn eyes.  He worried about the fact that they were still glamoured, something he almost never did while they were home.  “Alec’s teacher said he shouldn’t be friends with me. And that he should wash his hands because I was holding it and he might have gotten germs.”  Alec nodded, lip trembling a little as he tucked his head under Magnus's chin, their book long forgotten. “And when Alec’s mama came to get us, she called us  _ dogs _ !”

After centuries of life, Ragnor liked to think he had the utmost control over his magic.  But hearing Magnus speak, Ragnor had to clench his fists to keep from blasting a hole in the wall.  “Maryse, a word?” he managed to say without exploding. 

She nodded and stood.  “The teacher has already been relieved of duty.  You don’t need to worry about that. Even if it didn’t involve my son, this is a new world and those who can’t accept it don’t have the right to be teaching the next generation.”  Looking back at the boys, Maryse smiled sadly. “She didn’t call them dogs,” she told Ragnor. “It was less overt than that. She told me that their puppy love was cute and all but that I should put a stop to it before it went too far.  That I didn’t want Alec to get ideas that our kinds should mix for anything other than our missions and jobs.”

Ragnor had only met the teacher a few times.  Other than the one Magnus had last year (who probably didn’t have a good view of warlocks after that experience), he rarely interacted with the primary school teachers.  It seemed that maybe he needed to start making more appearances down there. 

They closed the door to let the boys relax and not chance them overhearing this conversation.  “Mrs. Cartwright seemed to be under the impression that we still followed the old ways of thinking here.”  Maryse sighed, taking a long sip of her wine. Finding teachers for the Academy was always a struggle in the best of times but there were quite a few in Idris who were upset at the idea of a warlock child going to the same school as the nephilim.  She knew people would push back, but it was one of her requirements for taking the position. All children in the Shadow World were welcome, or she wouldn’t be there. 

“I understand there are still prejudices.  It isn't something you can get rid of overnight.  But saying it to a five-year-old child? It’s unconscionable.”  Maryse’s open-mindedness was one of the reasons Ragnor took the job in the first place.  

She nodded.  “I agree. So, starting tomorrow, Alec is going to be in Magnus's class.  He’s smart enough that I am sure he will catch up in no time. And having Magnus there with him should help him open up a bit.  This was not the first day I imagined for him.”

“Tomorrow will be better.”  

The two adults spent the rest of the afternoon drinking wine and talking about what to do with the rest of the students from the now teacherless class. When it came time for Magnus and Ragnor to go home for dinner, Ragnor and Maryse returned to the room to find a scene that made their hearts melt. 

Magnus and Alec hadn’t moved from the chair.  The book lay forgotten on the floor in front of them.  Head pillowed on Magnus's chest, Alec slept soundly in his best friend’s arms.  Maryse chuckled. 

“He can stay here tonight.  I’ll bring them both by in the morning.  Alec will be happier with him here anyway.”

Ragnor nodded his thanks and returned to his own quarters, pondering what to do with an unexpected free night.


	3. Nine Years Old

No one bothered them anymore.  Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane might have only been children, but it still didn’t stop people from acknowledging what the two boys had.  Despite the fact that he had a different last name than Ragnor, everyone knew him as Magnus's father. When Ragnor adopted him, Magnus demanded a different last name since Alec couldn’t say his L’s right and it wasn’t fair.  In a fit of frustration, Ragnor had yelled, _Magnus, you are the bane of my existence sometimes_ , and the name stuck.  And the name Lightwood was respected and feared in the halls of the Academy, and the streets of Idris in general.  Between the two of them, they ruled the halls of the primary school.

And no one dared pick on Izzy, who was three years behind them.  That was just asking for trouble.

Alec thrived in class with Magnus.  A shy, quiet boy, having his best friend there made him braver.  He’d speak out in class and Magnus would give him one of his trademark grins in return.

“Mrs. Lightwood, your son and the Bane boy are remarkable students.  I’m not sure I’d want either of them in class on their own but as a team, they keep each other in check.”  Maryse knew this. Everyone knew this. Magnus and Alec were each other’s greatest supporters but they also made sure the other didn’t cause too much trouble.  

Magnus had a flair for the dramatic that only seemed to grow along with him.  Still the only warlock in the school, his theatrics were easily traced back to him.  They still couldn’t figure out how he enchanted the ceilings to rain confetti every time Alec turned in a test or paper, even if Magnus wasn’t in the room.

To both of their dismay, however, the two of them were now spending less time together.  They spent every minute they could with each other, but with Magnus beginning magical training with Ragnor and Alec beginning weapons training with the other nephilim children, there were only so many hours the two of them had.  

Magnus, in particular, hated it.  While Alec was with all the other kids from their class, he had to be with just Ragnor.  Generally, they would portal back to Ragnor's home in England and work there for a day or two on the bigger spells that had more chance of disaster.  Magnus mastered most of them quickly but it didn't make him any happier.

"Magnus, stop pouting.  You need to learn how to make your own portals," Ragnor was explaining to a sullen child who glared as if Ragnor was the cause of all the problems in the world.  Trying a different tactic, he said, "If you don't learn how to do this, how will you see Alec when he is stationed at an Institute and you go off to live your own life?  You have to be able to travel, Magnus. And trust me, you would hate the mundane methods of travel. You already struggle with lack of patience."

To his horror, instead of motivating Magnus, his lower lip started to quiver and his cat-eyes filled with tears.  "My dear boy, what is wrong?" Ragnor asked, kneeling in front of him.

"Alec is a nephilim," Magnus whimpered.  "He's going to be a Shadowhunter and he's going to go off and fight demons and he's going to hate me.  And then someday, he will never want to see me again."

Back when Alec and Magnus first met, that was a concern Ragnor had as well.  But they'd been friends for five years at that point and he had never seen any reason to think Magnus and Alec would ever be anything but the best of friends.  It never mattered to Alec that Magnus was a warlock and until now, it never mattered to Magnus that Alec was a nephilim.

"Magnus.  You know that isn't true.  No one and nothing is going to come between the two of you.  If Alec didn't abandon you when he started school, he isn't going to now that he is starting his training."  He considered for a moment before continuing. His suggestion would raise eyebrows among many of the Shadowhunters and they would probably get some pushback from some of the other parents.  They begrudgingly accepted a warlock child learning Shadow World history, along with the other subjects at the Academy but they would definitely draw the line here.

Still, it might be good for both Magnus and Alec.  "What if you started training with him? It wouldn't be a bad thing for you to know how to use a weapon to defend yourself.  Sometimes magic isn't enough. I'll talk to Maryse and see if I can get you into the next set of classes."

Magnus's eyes lit up at the prospect and he nodded eagerly before throwing himself back into his studies.  "I want to be able to portal us home," he explained. "I want to tell Alec the news myself."

Unsurprisingly, Maryse agreed to have Magnus do weapons training with the other students.  "I'm disappointed that I didn't even consider that myself. But yes, let's get him into the coursework.  Alec can tutor him for a while if he feels like he is too far behind."

Ragnor regretted that decision not long after making it when all of the sudden, everything in their home could be used as a weapon and Magnus and Alec spent hours sparring with each other in the living room.  

"I love training," Magnus exclaimed at dinner, obviously worn out but grinning brightly all the same.  "I want to have two blades. Alec wants to have a bow and arrow. I like that. Then he won't be where all the demons are and he will be safer."

Dropping Magnus off one day for his training, both Magnus and Ragnor stopped and watched from a distance as Alec talked to some blond child neither of them had ever seen.  

"New student, I guess," Ragnor said.  "You should go introduce yourself."

He left to go to his class and Magnus crossed the room, wrapping his arms around Alec from behind.  "Hi, Alexander," he mumbled, face pressed to his best friend's back.

"Hi, Magnus.  This is Jace.  He's going to be living with mom, Iz, and me now."  

Magnus frowned. It felt as if his time with Alec was already too limited and now here was someone else who would want to spend time with Alec as well.  It had always been Magnus and Alec. Having a new young Shadowhunter around might leave Magnus the odd one out in a place where he already felt he didn’t belong if Alec wasn’t by his side.  But if Magnus had learned anything from his time living among Shadowhunters it was how to keep your emotions to yourself because nephilim could turn on you the moment they had a chance. He took a deep breath and stepped back to smile at the new kid.  

"Hi, I'm Magnus.  This one's best friend."

He'd hoped that maybe Alec said something about him before he arrived, but if he did, Alec failed to mention that his best friend was a warlock.  Around Alec, Magnus never used his glamour and didn't think about it until it was too late.

Jace jumped back, pulling out a small seraph dagger from his pocket.  

"Get away from him, warlock!” Jace shouted.  “Alec, did he do anything to you? You don't have to be friends with it anymore."

Magnus sighed and said nothing, all too used to the way people talked about him when Alec wasn't around, but Alec looked confused for a minute.  The baffled puppy dog face that Magnus teased him about often was now one of the best things he'd ever seen because it meant his friends seriously couldn't understand Jace's reaction.  

"Why wouldn't I be friends with him?  Magnus is my best friend. We grew up together."  He took Magnus's hand and pulled Magnus back behind him.  "And stop pointing that at him. He hasn't done anything wrong.  He goes to school here just like we do."

Magnus squeezed Alec's hand, heart bursting with love for his best friend who defended him so readily.  

"It's okay, Alexander.  You don't really know how unique you are.  Most of our classmates would react like him if they were given half the chance."  

Alec squared his shoulders and looked at Jace. "Listen, I like you but you have to be nice to Magnus or I'm never speaking to you again.  He's a part of my life and Izzy's life and mom's life. So, learn to deal with it. Downworlders aren't the enemy you think they are. Particularly not Magnus and Professor Ragnor."

Magnus didn't know if Jace was unused to people standing up to him, didn't want to make waves, or was just confused by the whole situation but whatever it was, he stared at them for a moment before nodding.  "Okay, fine. I guess. I don't know why you trust him but if you say he's okay..."

Good enough for Magnus.  Few people were even that understanding.  "I live with Ragnor. He teaches the older kids so you won't have him yet," he said, keeping hold of Alec's hand but coming around to shake Jace's.  

He could see Jace struggling to find something to say but in the end, he nodded.  "I'm Jace. My parents are dead and his dad was my dad's parabatai but he didn't want me so Maryse took me in.  She seems nice."

"Maryse is really nice.  She didn't have to let me stay but she did," Magnus explained.  "My parents aren't dead but they didn't want me either so I kind of understand?"

Alec squeezed Magnus's hand and smiled encouragingly.  Magnus would try for Alec's sake. If this kid was going to be living with Alec’s family, then Magnus had to get along with him or it would just cause trouble.  He still didn't know if he liked Jace very much, but for Alec, he would try. And so a tentative friendship was born. 


	4. Eleven Years Old

"What do you mean I can't go?"  It had been a few years since Magnus actually had a tantrum, preferring to sulk in his room and magically lock the doors as if he thought that would really keep Ragnor out.  But this was approaching full-on meltdown status and Ragnor raised the wards around their quarters just to keep people safe if he really did blow something up.    
Ragnor felt for him. After living most of his life around Shadowhunters, it was sometimes hard for Magnus to accept that there were some things that weren't meant for him.  That there were some ceremonies that their kind weren't allowed to witness or participate in.    
Alec's rune ceremony was one of them.

“Magnus, we’ve talked about this.  You aren’t allowed at official Shadowhunter rituals.  Neither am I. There is nothing either of us can do about it so please stop throwing a fit and calm down.  We can do something nice for him. Get him a present. But you aren’t allowed to be there and that is final.”  Before Magnus could come up with another idea, Ragnor told him, “And no trying to sneak in there. They have runes in place that can sense magic, even if you aren’t using it.  So they will know and then you will be in trouble. Both with the Clave and with me.”

The fight went out of Magnus as he visibly deflated and folded himself up on the couch.  Bringing his knees up to his chin, Magnus covered his face to try and stop himself from crying. “Alec and I will never be the same, will we?” he asked, voice small and broken.  “They’re always going to be nicer to him then they are to me, just because his blood is angelic and mine isn’t.” Magnus still hadn’t told Ragnor what he and Alec discovered. That his blood could cause the seraph blades to light up just like Alec, only in a deep red instead of the whitish blue.  Neither of them knew what it meant but they thought it probably wasn’t something they should tell anyone else. 

Ragnor sat next to him and pulled him into a hug.  “My dear boy, between the two of you, you are as equal as two people can be.  Alec thinks you hung the moon. You obviously adore him if you are this upset about not being there for an important milestone.  It doesn’t matter what the rest of the world says. If Alec loves you, and you love Alec, that is the important part. Alec won’t care if you were at his ceremony or not.  He will care if he thinks that this thing in his life that he is very excited about is making you miserable. That boy can’t stand to make you sad.”

"It doesn't seem fair Jace gets to go," Magnus continued as if he hadn't heard Ragnor at all.  "He's only known Alec for two years and I've known him for seven so I should get to go and he should be the one that stays home and feel sorry for himself."  

Ragnor understood.  Magnus and Alec hardly did anything without the other one.  But they were starting to get to the age where the differences between them were finally going to become more apparent.  "You know Alec would have you there if he could. And you are invited to the party. It's only the ceremony."

"Yeah, the one where he officially becomes a Shadowhunter, only the most important thing in his life."  

Ragnor sighed and gave up.  There would be no getting through to him, it seemed.  Magnus made up his mind to be angry and the only person as stubborn as Magnus was Alec.

"It's stupid!" Alec yelled, stomping through the door not a half hour later.  "Mom can't change the rules to let you come to the rune ceremony." He threw himself down on the couch and laid his head on Magnus's lap.  "I said if Magnus couldn't go then I wasn't going either. Mom was mad, Jace was yelling, and Izzy started to cry. I just don't understand."  

Ragnor knew Alec was mostly just ranting so he didn't answer, letting Magnus handle it.  

"It is stupid.  If I can live in Idris, then I should be able to come to Idris things.  It's not fair that there are things I'm still banned from just because I don't have angel blood."

Sitting up, Alec wrapped his arms around Magnus and held on to him tightly.  Magnus returned the favor and the two boys sat there just holding one another.  In all his life, Ragnor never saw two children as attached to each other as Magnus and Alec.  There were plenty of pairs of best friends at the Academy. He might even say Jace and Alec were best friends because what he saw between Magnus and Alec was different.  Their lives were so intertwined with one another, Ragnor wondered if it would be possible to separate the two. Even for something as small as this ceremony, it was proving impossible to keep them apart.

“Ragnor, can I stay the night tonight?” Alec asked, those big hazel eyes pleading.  He tried to ignore the tear streaks on both their cheeks or the way Magnus's hands were fisted in Alec’s shirt.  

He wasn’t about to say no, so instead, Ragnor nodded. 

“I’ll ask your mother, but if it is okay with her, then I have no problem with it.”

The boys both smiled and Magnus jumped off the couch, pulling Alec towards his room.  Ragnor decided he would do whatever it took to convince Maryse. It seemed the boys needed this.

The day of the ceremony, Magnus sat outside the doors of the room, lower lip quivering and staring at nothing.  Ragnor stood beside him, providing silent support for the boy who was his son in all the ways that mattered. No matter how much the boys begged, pleaded, and cried, the Clave’s rules were absolute.  No Downworlder could witness that rune ceremony. 

So Magnus promised Alec he would be right outside, that he would be as close as he could.  And he was keeping that promise, despite how hard it was on him. Ragnor offered to take him somewhere for the day but he shot down any idea Ragnor had.  He needed to be there for Alec, no matter how painful it was. 

After twenty minutes, the door to the ceremonial hall opened and Alec came running out and threw his arms around Magnus. “I got it, Magnus!”  Holding out his arm, they both admired the newly formed rune burned onto his skin. While Magnus would never bear one, and might eventually come to resent what those runes represented, he couldn’t have looked happier for his friend.  “I didn’t even cry!”

“I knew you wouldn’t,” Magnus admitted solemnly.  “But even if you did, you’d still be the bravest, best person I ever met.”  He kissed Alec’s cheek and Alec blushed brightly, looking far happier about that than his rune.  

When the rest of the family filtered out, including Alec’s father, whom neither Magnus nor Ragnor had met before, Magnus grinned over at Maryse, tugging on her arm.  

“Maryse?  Can I have Alec until the party?  I promise to have him back before we need to be there!”  Ragnor knew Magnus intended to take Alec to their house in London so the two boys could have ice cream and play without all the other Shadowhunters looking down on them.  

He’d warned Maryse as well, so she smiled down at them.  

“Of course.  But if you aren’t back in time, neither of you are leaving Idris again until you are eighteen.” 

Magnus and Alec nodded seriously and Magnus took Alec’s hand in his own when Alec’s father spoke.  

“Maryse,” he hissed and both boys narrowed their eyes at him.  “Do you think that is wise? I mean, you are letting our eldest go running off to Angel knows where with a  _ warlock _ ?  How can you trust him?  I forbid this.”

“First, Robert, you lost the chance to forbid anything to do with this family when you chose to have a secret life that didn’t involve us.  Second, I would trust Magnus with Alec’s life. Far more than I trust you.” She turned back to the boys, “You two run off and we will see you at the party.  You don’t need to stay here for this.”

Magnus opened the portal and the two giggled as they ran through, still hand in hand.  

“I’m keeping an eye on them, I promise,” Ragnor nodded to Maryse and then took his leave.  He had no interest in dealing with her ex-husband, any more than the boys or Maryse herself seemed to.  

That night at the party, Magnus and Alec made a grand entrance, portalling in just before they were required to be back.  Magnus obviously dressed them both as Alec’s colors were far more flamboyant than he usually wore and they were both covered in a light coating of glitter.  Maryse and Ragnor both rolled their eyes and shared a smile. The two of them were handfuls, but neither of them would have Magnus and Alec any other way.


	5. Thirteen Years Old

Magnus had known for a few years now.  He’d known when he had a crush on a girl in their class and then a few months later, had a crush on her male study partner instead.  He didn’t actually want to date any of them. Romance was still an uncomfortable subject and most of the time he had too much fun running around town with Alec (and Jace who seemed to go everywhere they did) to want to bring up such a serious topic that might change the way his best friend felt about him.  

Shadowhunter culture, for all of its progress, was still far behind most of the rest of the world.  And the fact that men could love other men or women could love other women seemed beyond the Clave's capacity for belief.  Magnus wanted things to change and more than that, he wanted Alec to believe it was okay, but he didn't know what would happen so he didn't say anything. 

He told Ragnor first who hugged him and kissed the top of his head. 

"And there's nothing wrong with that," Ragnor said firmly.  "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Don't let them make you feel like there is something broken about you.  And don't let them discount what you feel simply because they think it isn't possible."

It was that support that got Magnus through the first couple years.  When he reached thirteen, he'd actually considered finally coming out to Alec but then Alec started acting strangely.  Withdrawn and moody. 

"It's just hormones," Ragnor promised when Alec bailed on their plan to go get ice cream after school one day, citing homework Magnus knew neither of them had.  And even if they did, they always did their homework together.

However, there was a look in Ragnor's eyes when he said that which put Magnus's teeth on edge.  Ragnor seemed to know something about Alec that Magnus didn't and he hated it. Alec was his best friend.  His. And it wasn't right that other people got to know things about him that Alec wasn't sharing with him. 

Though, Magnus realized that he had a rather big secret as well and maybe it would be best if he told Alec his secret. Then his friend could say his and they could get back to everything being normal once more.  Life wasn't as much fun when he didn't have Alec to share it with.

So after three weeks of Alec ignoring him and avoiding him, Magnus had enough.  He waited until all of Alec's family had gone to other places and marched down to their door, knocking lightly in the hope that Alec wouldn't think it was him.  Usually, he just walked in, as Alec did in his home, but this seemed like something that needed to be done politely.

"My mom's not home," Alec said as he opened the door, eyes going wide when he saw Magnus there instead of whoever he expected.  "Oh, Magnus. Um, I'm not feeling well. Can you come over some other time?" 

If he honestly thought Alec was sick, Magnus would have left him alone if that was really what he wanted.  But there was something going on and he needed to know what it was so he could make it better. 

"No, we need to talk."  He pushed past Alec into the home, taking Alec's hand and closing the door.  "I want to know what is going on with you but I also have something I need to tell you."

That did the trick and suddenly Alec was staring at him with wide, frightened eyes.  

"Is everything okay?  You aren't leaving, are you?  I know things have been getting worse at school with all the bullies and things but Jace and I try to take care of them so they don't bother you."  Magnus didn't know that, that his friends were trying to protect him without his knowledge. 

"No, I'm not leaving.  And I didn't know you were doing that.  Please don't get hurt on my account, Alexander.  I'd feel so bad."

"I won't get hurt.  I'm a Lightwood. I break noses and accept the consequences."  Alec rolled his shoulders back and Magnus had to fight not to laugh.  He'd heard that unofficial family motto his whole life and it never failed to amuse him.  

Instead of laughing, though, he pulled Alec through the apartment out onto the balcony that overlooked all of Idris.  It was their spot, a place they went whenever they needed to talk about something serious. And this was about as serious as it could get in Magnus’s opinion.

Once they were seated, Magnus noticed that Alec put a good deal of space between them.  They'd always been very physically affectionate, cuddling close whenever they were near the other.  It was just how they were. The physical distance usually only existed when they were fighting but Magnus didn't know what he had done wrong.     


"Magnus," Alec said as if there wasn't a good foot of space between the two of them.  "What's wrong? You're scaring me."   


Magnus blinked at him, unable to believe that his best friend thought he would just accept the cold shoulder without even trying to figure out what was going on with him.  

"That's what I am here to ask you.  You've been avoiding me for weeks, Alexander, and I don't know what I did.  I don't like it. Just tell me so I can fix it and then we can go back to the way things were."   


Of course, his own impending confession might drive an even bigger wedge between the two of them, but Magnus didn't want to think about that just yet.  He hoped Alec would love him no matter what.   


Alec looked down at his hands, fidgeting with his fingers in a way that he used to do with Magnus. 

"I don't want to tell you.  You're going to hate me. I told mom and Jace and Izzy.  Mom didn't understand, Jace was less than accepting at first but is slowly coming around.  Izzy was okay with it. But if I tell you and you get upset, then I'll never be able to deal with it."   


There was nothing - nothing - Alec could say that would make Magnus love him any less.  He was his best friend, closest confidante, and the only person he wanted to be in his life forever without question.  

"Alec, you can tell me.  It's me. Just tell me. I hate having you mad at me."   


"I'm not mad, I'm scared."    


Magnus scooted closer, drawing his best friend into his arms, trying to ignore just how tense Alec felt.  "If I told you something that is scaring me, would that help you feel brave enough to tell me?" 

Alec nodded, though his brow furrowed.  "You were afraid to tell me something? I didn't think you were afraid of anything."

"I am afraid of things."  Magnus sighed, his nerves starting to get the best of him.  "Mostly that you will hate me when I tell you this. But if it makes you feel brave, then I will."  He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "I like boys and girls," he finally blurted out. "Like like them.  I mean, I don't think I want to date any of them because I just want to be with you but I like them both and maybe I will marry a man or maybe I will marry a woman but Ragnor says it's okay and if the Clave doesn't like it, then they don't have to look."

There.  He said it.  There was no taking it back now.  His heart pounded in his chest, threatening to break through his ribs if it beat any harder.  The silence dragged out between them and with every tick of the clock, Magnus felt his best friend slipping away. 

Alec looked at him and Magnus couldn't place the expression on his face.  "You...you like boys and girls? That's possible?"

Magnus nodded.  "Ragnor says that anyone can like or not like whoever they want and if I like both that is okay too."

"So..."  Alec started to say and then fell silent, obviously lost in thought.  "Mom didn't say that. And Jace really didn't think it was possible. They both said I could only like girls, that it was the only option."

His eyes widening, Magnus began to suspect what Alec was trying to tell him.  He shook his head. "Just because the Clave doesn't like it doesn't mean it isn't possible.  The Clave just wants everyone to have babies, not fall in love. I want to fall in love and I don't care who it is with."  Someday. He wanted to fall in love someday. At thirteen, he wasn't ready for that yet.

It wasn't the first time Magnus spoke poorly of the Clave.  Being a Downworlder meant he had a slightly different opinion of them then Alec.  Alec often told him to be careful but in the end, just smiled and shrugged and they moved on with their day.  Magnus was used to Alec not really talking about the Clave so when his best friend spoke again, he was a little surprised.  

"If the Clave has a problem with that, then I will fight them myself."  A fire burned in Alec's eyes and Magnus smiled in spite of the heated nature of their conversation.  Or maybe because of it. "Because if they have a problem with you, then they will really have a problem with me.  I don't like girls. At all."

The moment the words were out of Alec's mouth, he snapped his jaw shut and stared at Magnus as if he just ruined their friendship.  But all Magnus did was smile. "You like boys? That's so cool." 

"You think?  Izzy told me it was okay but Jace and Mom said I was going to get in trouble if I told anyone."

"Then don't tell anyone until you're ready.  It's none of their business anyway." Now that the heavy stuff was out of the way, Magnus's grin grew brighter.  "So, are there any boys you like?" 

Alec's blush grew so bright Magnus worried he might pass out from all the blood rushing to his face.  

"Um, maybe, just one.  I didn't think he liked me like that.  Or liked boys at all. But I just found out he does like boys and so now I don't know what to do."

Magnus might have been young but he wasn't stupid.  "So that's why you've been ignoring me?" Alec nodded mutely.  "Well, I did just tell you I didn't want to date anyone. I just want to be with you, alright?"

They were still holding each other as they always did but something had shifted between them, a new piece of their puzzle falling into place.  When Magnus met Alec's eyes, they both knew. 

While they had shared innocent kisses their entire lives and this one was seemingly no different from the outside, inside, Magnus knew everything had changed.  It was chaste, just Magnus's lip-glossed lips pressed to Alec's dry ones, but it was the most perfect moment he could remember. It only lasted a few seconds but it was long enough to know that they would never be the same.  

"Can I keep kissing you?" Alec asked, eyes sparkling and bright.  "For the rest of our lives?"

"I would be upset if you didn't," Magnus answered, and kissed him again.  The two boys spent the rest of the day on the balcony, trading kisses, talking, and basking in the love they felt for one another.


	6. Nineteen Years Old

Another year, another Shadowhunter ceremony Magnus wasn't allowed to attend.  Even eight years later, they still hadn't approved Downworlders to attend the rituals involving their nearest and dearest.  Magnus was still bitter about Alec's rune ceremony, Izzy's rune ceremony, and even Jace's. It didn't seem right that he was excluded from these events considering he was just as much a part of the family as the rest of them.  

Although, he was a part of them in a completely different way.  It took a year before Maryse and the Lightwoods found out about the shift in Magnus and Alec's relationship.  In their defense, it wasn't as big of a change as one would expect. The boys already cuddled, held hands, and spent every waking moment together.  The addition of kisses and some new feelings they were both still trying to understand didn't actually change much.

Maryse wasn't thrilled when she caught them kissing on Alec's bed, just sharing sweet pecks on the lips and giggling in between each.  She called Ragnor over and what followed was the most awkward thirty minutes of Magnus's life. In the end, Ragnor convinced her that the boys were okay.  They weren't doing anything to hurt anyone. And really, hadn't this been inevitable considering Magnus kissed him the first time they met?

Once Maryse accepted it, the only one left was Jace.  Magnus knew that the blond boy didn't like him much, though he wasn't sure why. It might have something to do with the fact that Magnus was a warlock and even after all his time with the Lightwoods, Jace found it difficult to overcome all the brainwashing his father had done.  

Or it was the fact that Magnus really enjoyed playing pranks on him.  He was so easy to rile up, after all. 

But Jace made it clear that he didn't like what was happening between Alec and Magnus.  He started demanding Alec spend more time training with him, and only him. Something about how they would need to be in tune with one another when the time came.  Magnus didn't understand but just rolled his eyes and went to practice magic until Alec came looking for him once more. 

It wasn't until Alec turned eighteen that Magnus finally understood.  "Magnus, Jace and I are going to be parabatai," Alec explained and Magnus stared back at him with a blank expression.  He'd heard the word enough in classes but never truly understood what it meant. It sounded like a marriage and even if they were only teenagers, Magnus hated the idea of Alec marrying anyone other than him. 

"Why?" he asked when he realized Alec was waiting for a reply.  "You don't have to, you know? None of the other people from our year have them.  So why you two?"

Alec shrugged, "He's my brother and he asked and I said yes.  Why wouldn't I want to bind myself to him?"

Magnus was horrified when tears burned in his eyes and he blinked them away as quickly as he could.  "Because I love you. I want to be the one bound to you, not him. He hates me and just wants to get rid of me.  He's said it since the first moment he arrived. And now you two are binding your souls. Where does that leave me?"

He didn't wait for a response, portalling out of the room and into the house in England, where he hid for three days before Ragnor came to get him.

With Alec in tow.

"You two, talk, now.  And Magnus, don't even think about trying to run away because I strengthened the wards.  No one is portalling in or out until I say so." Ragnor glared at the two boys and then retired to the other room to give them some privacy.

Alec stood there, arms crossed over his chest and his perpetual scowl on his face.  "You've been ignoring me for three days. I don't think we've gone that long without speaking to each other since before we started dating.  So tell me why you are upset. I don't think it's just the parabatai thing. Because you've never cared that I was a Shadowhunter before."

Magnus didn't want to talk.  He wanted to continue sulking and feeling sorry for himself.  None of them understood. Magnus barely did himself. But he knew he was upset and he could basically pinpoint the reason.

"I don't want you to bind yourself to Jace," he said softly, feeling small and petty even as he did so.  "I don't want you two to share a soul. I don't want you to be buried together when you die, particularly in some place where I can never visit you."

Tears were streaming down his face but Magnus ignored them, choosing to continue staring right in front of him.  "You and Jace will always have something we never can. You two will be the best of friends, soul mates, and I'll be that sad warlock who follows you around hoping for some kind of attention.  Someday, you two will grow old together and I'll still look mostly like this. You won't want to be around me when you have someone who actually understands what you are going through.

"It hurts, Alexander.  It hurts knowing that despite the fact that I love you with everything I have and everything I am, it isn't enough.  It will never be enough. You're going to have to live your Shadowhunter life and taking a parabatai is just another sign of how I'm going to lose you sooner rather than later.”

And that was the long and short of it.  Eventually, Magnus was going to lose Alec and this was just a tangible example of it.  Alec was literally giving his soul to another. To a Shadowhunter. To someone who could experience the same things and not bring him down.  He hated himself for feeling so weak but he'd loved Alec for so long that the thought of losing him was unbearable.

Alec, who always understood Magnus better than Magnus did, crossed the room and pulled his boyfriend into his arms.

"This doesn't change anything between us, Magnus.  This is a bond for battle. It doesn't mean anything other than I trust Jace to have my back in battle and he trusts me to have his.  It lets us keep Izzy safer than if we were two individuals."

Burying his face against Alec's neck, Magnus breathed his distinctive scent in deeply.  "Magnus, I might share my soul with Jace, but you have my heart. From now until forever, for all of my life and all of yours.  Because I want to be with you. If you have to live forever, then I want to be right by your side. I don't know how we will manage it but I'm sure Ragnor knows something, and if not, you will figure something out.  You're the smartest person I know. Other than Izzy."

Magnus laughed at that, watery but happy.  "No one is smarter than Izzy, so I suppose I can stand to be second."  He pulled back to look at Alec. "You don't have to do that, though, Alexander.  I'll be happy with just sharing your life with you. You don't have to live forever to be the love of my life."

"But I want to.  I don't want to leave you behind and one lifetime was never going to be enough.  It's always been Magnus and Alec, Alec and Magnus. Why should we let something like death stop that?"

Ragnor found them an hour later, curled up together sharing kisses and giggling.  It was exactly what he’d come to expect over the last few years. What was unexpected was when Alec held out his hand, showing off a ring on his left hand.  “Explain?” Ragnor demanded, though his heart melted a little at the sight of their identical grins.

“We decided that if we were going to be together forever, we should make it official,” Alec explained, kissing Magnus's cheek.

“Besides, I had to claim him first before he got a rune binding him to Blondie.”

Ragnor laughed at the two of them before something struck him.  “Forever?”

They both nodded.  “We don’t know how but we’ll figure it out.”

He left them to enjoy their time together, not wanting to break it to them that it would a long and difficult road ahead.  But if anyone could make it work, it would be Magnus and Alec. In the last fifteen years, Ragnor watched the two boys grow from adorable children to adults who knew the ones they could always count on.  They would find a way. He knew it.

Magnus sat outside Alec and Jace’s parabatai ceremony two days later but unlike the last time he had to miss a monumental event in Alec’s life, he sat patiently, knowing that while he couldn’t be in there, the ring he gave Alec was there reminding him how much Magnus loved him.  Just like the Lightwood family ring on Magnus's finger reminded that even if he wasn’t a Shadowhunter, he’d always have a place with that family.

And when the ceremony was complete, Alec came running out into his fiance’s arms, kissing him soundly in front of their families, members of the Clave, and a confused Silent Brother.  Magnus offered Jace a hug, knowing that while they might not always see eye to eye, it was good to know that someone was there watching Alec’s back when he couldn’t be. Linking their fingers together, Magnus and Alec smiled.  “I love you, Alexander. Forever.”

“And I love you, Magnus.  Forever.”

No one who knew them could doubt that they meant just that.

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell at me on tumblr at [brooklynxmagic](http://brooklynxmagic.tumblr.com) or [astudyinfic](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com). Or twitter at [astudyinfic](http://twitter.com/astudyinfic).


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